


The most serious kind of serious

by rainpuddle13



Series: Ex Libris Universe [3]
Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Modern Poldark, Poldark AU, Wild Baby Poldarks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28269357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainpuddle13/pseuds/rainpuddle13
Summary: Ross has a very serious discussion with his son.
Relationships: Demelza Carne & Ross Poldark, Demelza Carne/Ross Poldark
Series: Ex Libris Universe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2070981
Comments: 58
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Christmas, everyone! 🎄🎅❤
> 
>   
>    
> 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ross could spy his son standing in the doorway into the library out of the corner of his eye, fidgeting in an attempt to try to get his attention, but knowing better than to actually disturb him. It was the house rule that children were not to disturb Poppy when he was working in the library with the door shut. His mistake was leaving the door ajar when he came in early. Jeremy had a very concerned look on his face.

“Son,” he said, putting the child out of his misery, “come.”

Jeremy stopped toeing the edge of the runner rug and his head snapped up. “Poppy,” he cried in his sweet not-quite-still-a-baby voice, darting into the room to launch himself to Ross’ arms.

He kissed the top of the boy’s head while settling him in his lap. Jeremy’s hair wasn’t quite as curly like his, but it was dark and wavy, and most definitely unruly. There were no words to describe how much he loved this child with all of his seriousness beyond his years. Demelza said Jeremy was a four year old with a fifty year old soul.

“What can I do for you?” Ross asked him, figuring he should get straight to the heart of the matter.

The little boy was immediately distracted by all of the things scattered across the desk, ignoring the open laptop and going straight for an old piece of copper that had come from one of the family mines more than two hundred years ago and was currently being used as a paper weight. “Father Christmas,” was all he said.

“Yes, he’ll be coming to visit you next week.” Ross’ brows furrowed while wondering where this conversation was going to go. Jeremy had been on his very best behavior the past few weeks since the tree went up and the house was transformed into a magical wonderland. Drake and Morwenna had decorated the house overnight on the first of December as a surprise for Demelza who was still recovering from giving birth to their youngest, Clowance, a week prior.

Jeremy nodded as he turned the mineral sample over in his hands. “I know,” he answered very softly. “Coco too?”

It took Ross a few seconds to make the connection and he shook his head, marveling at how kind and generous his son was. Jeremy was fretting that Clowance was too new for Father Christmas to know about. He kissed the top of his middle child’s head. “I sent him a note the day Clowance was born to let him know.”

“You did?” Jeremy asked, leaning back into Ross’ chest and tilted his head up to gaze at him with dark luminous eyes so very much like his own.

“Father Christmas knew already, of course,” he assured him. 

“Ooohh,” Jeremy sighed, and Ross could feel the tension leave his little body as his greatest fear was just assuaged. His new baby sister wouldn’t be forgotten.

“Father Christmas knows all.”

“He does?”

“Yes, of course,” Ross chortled and lifted Jeremy to seat him on the desk to face him. This was a very serious conversation between father and son. “He always knows when you’ve been good and when you’ve been naughty. Bad children get stockings full of coal.”

“I’m good!” Jeremy cried, eyes wide at the very real prospect of being found guilty. “I’m good!”

“I know,” Ross tickled the little boy’s side to make him squeal with a giggle, “Mama knows, and Father Christmas definitely knows.”

Jeremy gasped for breath, his cheeks pink, and his eyes turning serious again. “Coco’ll get toys?”

“I’m sure she will. What are you giving her?” Ross prompted.

“Uhm…a pink kitty.”

Ross smiled, knowing he’d spent nearly an hour in the toy store with a very patient Caroline the day before wavering between a purple bunny and a pink kitty. It was a very important decision apparently. “She will love it.”

“She will?” Jeremy didn’t sound too confident in his decision. 

“I have it on good authority,” he said, trying to sound as reassuring as he could.

The boy sighed with relief before a most paramount thought suddenly struck him. “Candy?”

“Her stocking is too small.” Ross couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the tiny white baby sock edged with lace hanging on the mantle in the sitting room alongside the rest of the family stockings.

Jeremy frowned at that bit of information. “I share mine!”

He hated to have to burst his son’s bubble, but at not quite six weeks old Clowance was entirely too young for all of the yummy things that came along with the season. “That is kind of you to want to share,” he praised, leaning to rub noses with the boy, “but she’s too young for candy.” Jeremy wrinkled his nose and his frown deepened at the thought anyone could be too young for candy. “More for you though.”

“Meeeeeeeeee!” Jeremy squeaked, squirming, but not making any attempt to get away.

Ross laughed with him. “Yes, more for you, but will you share with me?”

The little boy froze, struck by the question, then nodded his head. “Uh huh.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he warned, giving Jeremy another little tickle to punctuate his words, and catching sight of Demelza over top the boy’s head standing in the doorway with a soft smile on her face.

“Tea,” was all she said after a light knock on the door.

“Remember our talk is top secret,” Ross mock whispered to his son before he placed Jeremy on the floor and swatted his bum lightly to get him moving. “Go wash your hands.”

“Uh huh!” Jeremy squeaked with a nod before darting out of the room to go do as he was told posthaste. There was no way he was going to end up on any naughty list.

Ross closed his laptop and got up to join his wife, giving her a quick kiss before turning his attention to the bundle in her arms. “Hello, my darling girl,” he cooed, his heart melting at the scrunched little face of the sleeping baby. Clowance was sporting a little knitted Christmas tree cap.

“Milk drunk,” Demelza informed him. “Get her tummy full and I think she’d sleep through armageddon.” 

He brushed a kiss to the baby’s forehead and inhaled her sweet baby scent. He would never get enough of that smell as long as he lived. “Which is probably a good thing in this house.”

“Very,” she said tiredly, “now if only she’d sleep through the night.”

“Soon enough,” he promised, knowing from previous experience that eventually all babies would rather snooze than eat every few hours. He lived for that time. Ross liked his uninterrupted sleep. 

She started to move toward the kitchen, but then stopped. “You want to tell me about Jeremy? That looked like a serious conversation.”

“The most serious kind of serious,” he said, lowering his voice lest Jeremy overhear him spilling his secrets.

“The most serious?” she echoed, concern causing her lovely mouth to turn down in a frown.

“Yes,” he swooped in to kiss away her worry with a chuckle, “very important Father Christmas business.”


	2. The red car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas happens way too early in the morning (for some people).

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sounds of giggles and the patter of little feet outside of the bedroom door woke him from a very sound sleep. Ross yawned and stretched a bit, not ready to be awake yet. Demelza was beginning to stir so he tightened his arm around her. He didn’t want her to leave their warm little nest. The giggles and not-so-hushed whispers grew louder.

“What time is it?” he asked against his better judgement.

His wife laughed softly and pressed a kiss to his chest just above his heart. “Just past five.”

“In the morning?”

“Yes.”

“God.”

“He has nothing to do with it,” Demelza said and pulled away to sit up on the side of the bed. “We should probably put them out of their misery before they wake the baby.”

He followed suit, scrubbing his face with both hands while trying to force his eyes to stay open. “I think the rule should be no one out of bed before eight on Christmas morning.”

“We’re up before then on a regular day,” she reminded him while making quick work of taming her hair into a messy, loose braid.

“Special occasion rules. We get to sleep late.”

She came around to his side of the bed, tying her robe before leaning down to kiss the top of his head. “Are you sure your first name isn’t Ebenezer?”

“Bah humbug,” he muttered and reached for his own robe after sliding his feet into his slippers. 

“I’m sure Papa is up and about already.”

“Of course he is.” His father lived to spoil the children rotten. Christmas was just a convenient excuse to justify his behavior.

Demelza laughed. “Then we should put him out of his misery too.”

“Coffee,” he muttered, finally standing and reaching for his cane, his knee complaining about straightening out so early on such a cold morning, “please tell me there will be coffee.”

She lifted Clowance from her cot, the baby grumbling a bit at being disturbed, but not waking. She was dressed in a red and white striped onesie to match her brother and sister’s Christmas pyjamas. “And sausage rolls, and cinnamon buns, and scones, and fruit.”

He kissed his youngest on the way past to open the door. The lovely scents of coffee and frying bacon wafted through the air and he inhaled deeply and finally started to wake up. Before he knew what was happening he found two small children attached to his legs.

“Poppy!” Julia cried. “Poppy, come see!”

“Father Christmas came!” Jeremy informed him excitedly.

Ross asked, already knowing the answer to the question, but he had a part to play, “He did?” 

“Pressies! Loads of pressies!”

“So many!”

Julia sighed dramatically, obviously very put out at having to wait. “Papa said we had to wait for you.”

“I’m sure he did,” he said, idly wondering if there would be enough room for them to even get in the sitting room for all of the presents that had magically appeared in the night. He’d tried to warn his father and his wife not to over indulge the children, but his words fell on deaf ears.

The next hour or so passed in a blur of shredded paper and ribbons and squeals of delight from happy children and barks of an overly excited dog. He sat in his chair, holding a snoozing Clowance clutching her new pink kitty with one tiny hand, and slowly sipping on a cup of black coffee Prudie had supplied him. Jeremy had been pleased his gift for his new sister was so well received. His father was right in the thick of things, handing out presents and examining each one opened and exclaiming them to the best present yet. Demelza joined him as the dust began to settle, perched on the arm of the seat after removing the small pile of loot that had accumulated for the baby. It was still dark outside the frosty windows.

He yawned mightily after Jeremy yawned, idly wondering if there was any way they could all go back to bed for a couple of hours.“Remind me why we have children again?” he asked under his breath.

“I think you know why.” Demelza snorted with mirth.

“Yes, I know,” Ross said dryly. “I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“There is that.” She leaned in to press a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Poppy! Look!” Jeremy squealed, jumping up to trudge through the almost knee deep debris to stand at Ross’ knee and held up a red remote control car he had just unwrapped. The little boy’s eyes were shiny with glee and his cheeks bright pink. “Look! Look! Poppy! Look!”

He handed off his coffee to Demelza in order to take the proffered toy and give a good once over. It was much fancier than the one he got for Christmas when he was about Jeremy’s age, except his had been blue. He’d loved that car and had spent many an hour playing with it. “Ooh,” Ross breathed, feeling a tinge of excitement himself, “we’ll go outside after lunch and try it out. Maybe build a dirt track to run it on. I’m sure Uncle Dwight will help. What say you?”

“Yessssssss,” the little boy answered, very nearly vibrating with joy and flashing him a silly grin before darting over to tell his grandfather all about how his Poppy was going to build him a race track for his car because his Poppy was the bestest Poppy there ever was.

“That’s why,” his wife informed him, her voice wavering a bit. She was the sentimental sort and he loved her all the more for it.

He put a hand on her knee, giving it a little squeeze. “I know,” was all he said.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Nokomiss for the second set of eyes on this and to Super_Radix_Fan for the lovely moodboard!


End file.
